Youth Development Foundation

HIV/AIDS – Infection rates in Chipata are, at 26.3% the highest in Zambia due to the movement of people across the borders with Malawi and Mozambique. Young people are disproportionately affected, but below 30% use condoms with non-regular partners and less than one-quarter of those infected are accessing Anti-Retro Viral drugs (ARVs) While the government has committed to providing free ARVs for all, the lack of health infrastructure such as CD4 count machines means that many people are excluded from living positively. Clear messages on protective measures, the importance of getting tested, and the right to live positively need to be reinforced with this group.

Several reasons have been given as regard to the higher infection rate in Chipata and Katete. One of which is that of Chipata being situated at the Zambia – Malawi boarder, and Katete being situated at the Zambia- Mozambique boarder. These two boarders have a higher number of sexual workers, as they are transit areas.

Poverty is one another factor that has contributed to the high rate of the pandemic in Chipata District in particular. Therefore the young people are left with no choice but to look at means of how they can make their needs met. This has faced some youths to get involved in drugs, sex work and many other vices that make them vulnerable to the HIV pandemic.

YDF therefore has identified this problem and realized its aim for the young people.

Coming up with suitable ways and modes on how it would reduce the pandemic rate is its endeavourer.

YDF wish come up with programmes that will directly look at the need of the young people on HIV/AIDS. To reduce and to take action on HIV/AIDS issues among the young people. YDF intends to:

• Promote a youth friendly environment were issues of HIV and AIDS issues will be discussed.
• Conduct public and official sitting on the HIV and AIDS pandemic
• Empower the HIV and AIDS infected and affected youths with sustainable projectsto enable them to run their daily activities.
• It also wishes to conduct debates to challenge myths and stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS.

TAKING POWER CONFERENCE

On Wednesday 15th of August YDF held a conference to decide on a focus issue for a mass lobby to the government, train YDF club members in lobbying skills and elect 2 club members to the board.The 80 participants were divided into 3 groups. Each rotated with training on lobbying, and the two issues to be decided on later in the day. The first issue was ‘ARVs for youths’. More specifically, participants discussed whether there are sufficient services for young people to access treatment drugs for HIV & AIDS in Chipata District. Following a quiz to ensure all participants had a basic knowledge of Anti-Retroviral drugs and when they are needed they discussed issues such as:

·       What are the barriers to youths accessing ARVs in Chipata?

·       What could be improved?

The second issues was ‘Condom distribution in schools’. This topic was selected by staff in advance of the conference. The government of Zambia banned the distribution of condoms in schools in 2004 following pressure from abstinence-only NGOs such as Youth Alive. This session examined whether this ban was putting those youths who do not abstain at greater risk of contracting HIV. Questions discussed by participants included:

·       Where are young people found? Where can you get condoms?

·       Is it immoral to promote condoms? Is it immoral to allow people to die from AIDS when it could have been prevented?

·       Does promoting condoms lead to more people having sex?

YDF staff facilitated a lively discussion of which issue should be taken to the mass lobby to the government of Lusaka in October. Following passionate representations for both issues, the participants came to a consensus that this year’s mass lobby should focus on reversing the law banning condom distribution in schools, and next year’s could focus on improving youth access to ARVs.

Electing the board

Following elections in which pupils from all schools present were encouraged to stand Blessings Mbewe from Chipata Day and John Kumwenda from Anoya Zulu High School were elected and attended their first board meeting 2 days later.

Overall the conference was a massive success as these comments from participants show:

“You guys were great”

“Everybody participated and I learnt a lot”

“10 out of 10, it was perfect and you took great care of us“